Retirement is the perfect time to look up and explore the wonders of the night sky. You can stay up half the night without worrying about getting to work on time the next day. Whether you’re tracking the International Space Station (ISS), observing Starlink satellites, watching a meteor shower, or identifying constellations there is a universe out there waiting for you. And you can launch your virtual celestial journey from right here on earth.
Tracking the International Space Station
The International Space Station (ISS) is more than amazing engineering, it is a symbol of international cooperation. Watching the ISS pass overhead is an awe-inspiring experience, and with NASA’s map for guidance, you can track its movements across the night sky while standing in your back yard. Well, if you live in an area without too much light pollution, you can track it, or you may have to go to a dark-sky area near you. When I lived in Los Angeles, even seeing a few stars was unusual because of city lights. Here in Tucson, the dark night sky is filled with stars and satellites and planets and other objects I can usually see with my naked eye. (Well, my naked eyes with glasses!)
How to Track the ISS
NASA’s Spot the Station website has a map and lets you to sign up for email or text alerts when the ISS is visible in your locale. It provides detailed information on where and when to look. The first time I did this I wasn’t sure what I was looking for until I saw a light sort of “chugging” across the sky. To my eyes it did not move smoothly. It was not particularly fast, but distinctly different from the lights on airplanes in the sky above Tucson. It was right on time, so I knew I was watching the Space Station.
At the free website Heavens-Above, heavens-above.com you will find an astonishing list of things to see in the sky — usually with the naked eye. Start by clicking on “Live Sky View” and you’ll see the current location of the Space Station and Elon’s satellites. Then work your way down the list of things you can see including the paths of Voyager 1 and 2 to amateur radio satellites to constellations. Enter your location to get precise timing and directions for ISS sightings and so much more.
Another fascinating free site built and maintained by Thomas Murr as a personal effort is iss-tracker.com. It shows the current position of the ISS and its path around the Earth. Yet another way to see where the ISS is now and when it will be visible in the sky above you.
Observing Starlink Satellites
Elon Musk was and is obsessed with space and rockets and interplanetary travel, as well as his Tesla electric cars, political action, social websites and who knows what else. The story goes that after he began developing rockets, especially reusable ones, he realized that between assignments launching satellites for other companies, he could launch his own internet service for remote regions of the world. Thus was born Starlink, a project by SpaceX, Musk’s rocket company.
His Starlink service involves a large constellation of more than 1500 small satellites designed to provide global internet coverage. These satellites can be seen moving in a train-like formation across the sky when they launch. I’ve only seen a group of Starlink satellites once, but as a line of small moving lights, they are unlike anything else in the sky. Two other billionaires, Jeff Bezos and Richard Branson, also have rocket companies, but only do occasional one-off launches and have left nothing to track in the night sky.
How to Track Starlink Satellites
Go to Find Starlink and enter your location to find out when and where you can see Starlink satellites in your specific location. The site provides a schedule and a visibility score for each pass.
You can also see a skyful of Starlink satellites online at Heavens Above. With information about ISS and Starlink and international satellites in one place it’s my first choice for tracking them all. It is worth your while to find out what day and time they are in your area so you can go out into a dark-sky area and see them all in one night.
Space programs around the world
While NASA and Musk gobble up a lot of media visibility about space exploration, countries around the world, especially China and Japan, are now actively moving into space. More than 250 people from 21 different countries have now been on the Space Station (ISS). Exploratory flights from several countries have been to the moon, to Mars, to asteroids and into deep, distant space. Here are a few websites about the space programs round the world.
NASA (nasa.gov): Provides live coverage of U.S. space missions, including launches, spacewalks, and other events.
SpaceX (spacex.com): Tracks SpaceX launches and missions, including the Starlink project and crewed missions.
ESA (European Space Agency) (esa.int): Covers European space missions and provides educational resources.
Roscosmos (Russian Space Agency) (roscosmos.ru): Offers information on Russian space missions and history.
China (en.cmse.gov.cn/) Information about their activities including their new space station and manned flights.
ISRO (Indian Space Research Organisation) (isro.gov.in): Tracks Indian space missions and achievements.
JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency) (global.jaxa.jp): Provides updates on Japanese space missions and research.
United Kingdom (gov.uk/government/organisations/uk-space-agency)
Canada (asc-csa.gc.ca/eng/)
Keep in mind what Carl Sagan said: “We are all made of star stuff”. So when you look skyward you are seeing the basic elements from which you and all else on earth came.
